Since the day the fixtures were released, striker Le Fondre has had United in his sights.

“When the fixtures came out I looked at this game and the return at Old Trafford,” admitted the 25-year-old.

“This will be a great occasion for me personally and my family.

“My dad took us there a lot when we were younger, but then he started managing our local teams.

“All my family are Reds apart from my uncle and his family who are all Blues. We have a little bit of mickey taking.”

Reading have won just once all season in the Premier League and without producing a full 90-minute display of football, they will need to play out of their skins to get any points against United, let alone even dream of winning.

Le Fondre was naturally disappointed that he missed a number of chances to score against Aston Villa in Tuesday’s 1-0 defeat.

But that has served as motivation for the wily forward to make up for his mistakes tomorrow during the clash against Sir Alex Ferguson’s league leaders.

“I think we’re good on the break, but sometimes it’s hard to break down teams,” he confessed.

“We’re trying to break fast and when we get the ball, we need to keep it. We need to take a breather and start probing.

“Personally I’ve found it easier to adapt to than I have to the Championship.

“I thought the Championship was a lot faster-paced and more hustle and bustle.

“In the Premier League you get more time on the ball and can show how good a player you are.”